12 Days: Housing those on path to home

Shelters 'build up' those in need

DENNY SIMMONS / Courier &amp; Press
John Janoski, center, spoons out spaghetti noodles as Al Spillman, left, and Debbie Scott prepare for lunch at the United Caring Shelter in Evansville on Wednesday morning. Janoski and his wife, Mary Ann, (not pictured) volunteer every Wednesday at the shelter representing their church, Epworth United Methodist Church; as does their daughter, Scott, from Santa Claus UMC; and Spillman, St. John's East United Church of Christ.

DENNY SIMMONS

Kimron Reising, the executive director of the United Caring Shelters Inc., wanted to thank the more than 250 dedicated volunteers that serve his organization as well as express gratitude for the support of the community.

"We always have so many volunteers," he said. "This time of year people just get that spirit. When we have openings for particular meals those are always posted on our website."

But Reising also wanted people to know more about a long-term program the Downtown Evansville facility also boasts — its men's transitional housinging program and one of its current success stories, 53-year-old Harold West.

West, an admitted "functioning alcoholic," had been a truck driver since he left the Air Force in 1981. Then he was arrested for driving while intoxicated in November 2005 and pleaded guilty. That charge cost him his professional driver's license and, because no major company would insure him, he bounced from job to job for years.

Since his arrest, which was his first serious legal trouble, West said he hasn't touched alcohol, calling the incident a "wake-up call." Add a toxic living arrangement to the mix and West said he was "at the end of my rope" when he came to the shelter this year looking for a short-term fix, saying he simply didn't want to sleep on the streets.

"I didn't have a plan. This is why this has been great," West said. "I was scared and alone, there are plenty of people who come in here that you know never expected to be here."

West started to help staff organize the facility's basement where donations to benefit the organization are processed. Reising said the organization quickly considered West a volunteer member of the staff.

"He has exceptional organizational abilities," Reising said. "Our basement was a mess. Harold went down there and I guess, just in his head, could see what needed to be done and how to do it. He put up shelves and requested containers and got everything organized."

After 11 months in the program, West hopes to move out of one of the shelter's studio apartments reserved for the transition program and into his own place about the first of the year. He has also has held a steady full-time at Home Depot on the East Side of Evansville since the spring. If he finds a new place, West will fulfill the ultimate goal of the transitional program, which currently has 17 participants.

The only downside to West's transformation and full-time work schedule? The basement is getting cluttered again and the shelter is in need of people to help reorganize it, Reising said with a laugh.

The program, which has West back on the right track, was started in 2004. The success rate is about 80 percent, Reising said. Participants meet with a case worker on a weekly basis, find employment as soon as possible and agree not use illegal drugs or alcohol. Reising said the goal is to have participants settled into their own place within two years of entering the program. He noted, however, that finding affordable housing in Evansville is still a difficult proposition, despite recent efforts by advocates and local officials to improve the situation.

"What the community really needs is more affordable housing. That's the biggest thing we run into," Reising said. "If a guy or a woman comes in and stays with us for a while, and they get an entry-level job at minimum wage, even if they end up getting full-time — and they usually don't — it's not enough for them to go out and get an apartment."

Of course, the transitional program is only part of the United Caring Shelters' mission. The organization also operates a day shelter, separate night shelters for men and women and a white flag program in case of dangerous weather.

The day shelter serves three meals each day, has free laundry facilities and can be used as a mailing address for those who don't have their own. Reising said the shelter is open to not just the homeless, but to anyone who needs assistance.

West credits the program for helping turn around his life because it gave him new purpose. Even just being allowed to be primarily responsible for cleaning up the basement and being praised for his work helped him become a better person almost immediately, he said.

"My heart's a lot lighter. I gained confidence when I was worked in the basement. I gained confidence and they gave me responsibilities that helped build a guy up," West said.

"When you're not drinking, you're not drugging and you're not paying attention to the little stuff, it's actually fun."